MADISON, Wis. – Phil Longo is an offensive coordinator who loves his skill position players.

Lovingly referring to them as his weapons, Longo’s running backs, tight ends, and receivers help balance his Air Raid offense, allowing his quarterback to spread the ball around to multiple options and force defenses to stretch their coverages.

Wisconsin had the talent at tailback and the depth at tight end to achieve it, but the glaring lack of numbers at quarterback and receiver would make the Air Raid offense challenging in 2023. So, Longo and the Badgers fixed both positions at a rapid pace.

The Badgers officially welcomed the signing of three transfer quarterbacks Monday, along with four receivers from the portal, a group that can fit in a variety of areas within the offense to add depth and explosiveness.

“Most rosters in this country, college football at this level, carry 11 scholarship receivers and at Wisconsin, we only had eight,” Longo said. “To do what we do in practice and in games throughout a 13 or 14-game season with eight receivers, it’s very, very difficult to keep them fresh. We’re asking them to run, to be fast, to be fresh, and I don’t think it’s possible to do that with eight.”